Measure this

[huntnphool]

I'm coming up with 178".

1.75x1.75      3.5
16x2              32
10x2              20
11x2              22
Mass              32
Main              45
Spread         23.5

He is lacking mass for sure but it don't take much to hit 32".

Main 45?

Main beam 22.5" x2.

Don’t forget to change your spread credit then.

[Sneaky Squirrel]

Yep, same page. After i hit post, i realized this.

[dvolmer]

175-180 is my guess. Great buck. Needs a bit more mass but nothing else.

[Reidus]

Short hand I did

2x2.      4
17x2.   34
10x2.   20
12x2.   24
32 mass
23x2.   46
23

183 so 180 buck.



He is awfully purty!

i think you're pretty spot on Doug except I dont think his g1's are 2". Closer to 1.5". I'd give his passenger side g4 12" but driver side is closer to 10" and give him 33 on mass.

What if he has a body like your desert buck?
That can really foul the guesstimates up.

[huntnphool]

Short hand I did

2x2.      4
17x2.   34
10x2.   20
12x2.   24
32 mass
23x2.   46
23

183 so 180 buck.



He is awfully purty!

i think you're pretty spot on Doug except I dont think his g1's are 2". Closer to 1.5". I'd give his passenger side g4 12" but driver side is closer to 10" and give him 33 on mass.

What if he has a body like your desert buck?
That can really foul the guesstimates up.

 This is a nice buck but clearly not old, just good genes. It’s a good buck in Washington, Idaho and Montana’s general hunts, but a pass with a Washington late tag.

[blindluck]

Never been good with my eyeballs.

2.5x2
13.5x2
10.5x2
13.6x2

5.0x2
4.2x2
4.0x2
4.0x2

18.2x2

30

Gross: 181
 

Your G- 2 measurement in your picture is off a bit, it originates from the main beam. It looks like you started at the Y Of the G-3

[High Climber]

Never been good with my eyeballs.

2.5x2
13.5x2
10.5x2
13.6x2

5.0x2
4.2x2
4.0x2
4.0x2

18.2x2

30

Gross: 181
 

Your G- 2 measurement in your picture is off a bit, it originates from the main beam. It looks like you started at the Y Of the G-3

Also, your inside spread measurement needs to be on the main beam, looks like yours might be on the g4s. When you add the extra length to your g2 measurement and subtract the extra on your spread your number will be dam near the same… but we might as well all speak the same language when talking numbers 

[LDennis24]

I think hes wider than people realize too. If his ears are 8" then his ear tips are 23" wide atleast. That gives him a few more inches outside his ears to about 26-27" wide. Add a few inches to what Bone originally guessed and your in the upper 180's. That's where I would put this buck.

[boneaddict]

Now you all know why I might have chosen this buck for a discussion piece on this forum.  I wanted to demonstrate, how certain factors might drive a score, how easy it is to calculate or miscalculate those factors. Even for guys who do this a lot.   I hope it was fun, and maybe some of us learned some stuff.   

I liked Kirk’s comment, because I agree. I’d shoot his buck any day of the week over this one, though this one likely clobbers it in the score dept.  There was that other poll where mass trumped all it seems. So add one inch of mass to this buck throughout.  That would change this guys appearance and desirability a bunch, yet would only add 8 to the final scorecard.   I think scoring is nice to kind of classify bucks, but in the end, I don’t care that much about that final number. Yet it’s funny how we always ask. 

[High Climber]

Now you all know why I might have chosen this buck for a discussion piece on this forum.  I wanted to demonstrate, how certain factors might drive a score, how easy it is to calculate or miscalculate those factors. Even for guys who do this a lot.   I hope it was fun, and maybe some of us learned some stuff.   

I liked Kirk’s comment, because I agree. I’d shoot his buck any day of the week over this one, though this one likely clobbers it in the score dept.  There was that other poll where mass trumped all it seems. So add one inch of mass to this buck throughout.  That would change this guys appearance and desirability a bunch, yet would only add 8 to the final scorecard.   I think scoring is nice to kind of classify bucks, but in the end, I don’t care that much about that final number. Yet it’s funny how we always ask. 

I love content like this, it’s a valuable learning tool for someone like me trying to get better at field judging.  I don’t “care” about score but I want to be as accurate as possible when looking at and discussing animals if score is part of the conversation.

[chukardogs]

If people had to guess, what age would you put that deer? I look at him and see a 5 1/2 year old with gobs of potential.
 Bone, since I'm pretty sure he wouldn't stand still and let me measure his ears, what general area are we talking about? Any Blacktail genes in this animal or is he far enough east that he's just a pure Rocky Mountain Mulie?
 I look at the bucks head and think, maybe the ears are only 6 inches base to tip.
 If his ears are each 6 inches and they're 8 inches apart, we're talking 20 inches tip to tip. If his ears are actually 7.5 to 8 inches like LDennis and I think, and his head is big enough to put the bases of those 8 inch ears, 8 inches apart, you're now looking at almost 24 inches tip to tip. That could put that outside spread near 30 inches and the inside spread at 26+.
All that said, if I have a gun in my hand, a tag in my pocket and I'm out hunting during any legal deer season, man-o-man that buck needs to be looking for new digs. I don't think I'd have it in me to say, "that's not quite what I'm looking for." 

[boneaddict]

Either a 4.5 or 5.5 deer.   Pure Muley!    Assume 8inch ears.    You can assume that on most of the deer I photograph as a guide.   Some may be bigger but its a good base.

[link]

Now you all know why I might have chosen this buck for a discussion piece on this forum.  I wanted to demonstrate, how certain factors might drive a score, how easy it is to calculate or miscalculate those factors. Even for guys who do this a lot.   I hope it was fun, and maybe some of us learned some stuff.   

I liked Kirk’s comment, because I agree. I’d shoot his buck any day of the week over this one, though this one likely clobbers it in the score dept.  There was that other poll where mass trumped all it seems. So add one inch of mass to this buck throughout.  That would change this guys appearance and desirability a bunch, yet would only add 8 to the final scorecard.   I think scoring is nice to kind of classify bucks, but in the end, I don’t care that much about that final number. Yet it’s funny how we always ask. 

I love content like this, it’s a valuable learning tool for someone like me trying to get better at field judging.  I don’t “care” about score but I want to be as accurate as possible when looking at and discussing animals if score is part of the conversation.

I enjoy this type of content as well. But, if you're looking at it as an educational tool, this one may not get you your answers you're looking for. There are guesses of score from 150 to 200. Thats crazy. I think the general census is he's somewhere between 170 and 185. You'd really need to do a "guess the score" on a deer with known measurements. It's a great buck, I'm pretty confident it's over 165 and under 180. Also, judging a single photo is not very accurate. There's a wide range of guesses, each thinking they're right 

[andersonjk4]

....
 

Your G- 2 measurement in your picture is off a bit, it originates from the main beam. It looks like you started at the Y Of the G-3

Also, your inside spread measurement needs to be on the main beam, looks like yours might be on the g4s. When you add the extra length to your g2 measurement and subtract the extra on your spread your number will be dam near the same… but we might as well all speak the same language when talking numbers 

You're right.  I'm not much of a mule deer guy and hardly ever look at scoring.  I was making some assumptions based on memory. 

I went back and fixed my numbers and came up with 187 gross.  To Bone's point my estimates are based on a scale that assumes the tip to tip on the ears is 22".  If I adjust that by 1" either way the total changes by 4.5%.  4.5% of 187" is 8",  so a slight misjudgement in the body or head size or ear width can swing your estimates quite a bit.  Fun exercise. 

[MtnMuley]

Anybody who has this buck under 175" shouldn't be allowed to comment on future mule deer topics like this